Thursday, November 15, 2007

The Writers are Still on Strike!!

Big deal!

Cal Thomas, one of my favorite commentators, has written an excellent column about the Writer's Guild of America strike. You may read that article here, and I hope you will. I do want to comment on a few of Thomas' observations. Thomas writes:

Female “scientists” on the crime shows display enough cleavage that if the commercial were for Victoria’s Secret, viewers wouldn’t notice the transition. Such fantasies don’t resemble any female scientist I know, nor would a professional woman dress like a hooker for the office.

I normally watch sports, news, and PBS shows exclusively, although I do enjoy the occasional crime drama. (I admit to being a Law & Order junkie, and I do watch Lost.) Last night I watched about 15 minutes of the CBS show Criminal Minds and all of CSI: NY. As I watched I noticed that every female FBI agent and/or scientist, with very few exceptions, was thin, attractive, and wearing a blouse that had a revealing neckline. I recalled a conversation that I had with my parents the week before. Dad was poking fun at one of my Mom's favorite shows - Murder She Wrote. Dad said the show was so unrealistic because everywhere Angela Langsbury visited, someone died!

That conversation came to mind because the newer TV shows, with their "realistic" images, technology, etc. are even more unrealistic that the Angela Langsbury classic. How many police departments - local, state, or federal - are entirely populated by beautiful people? The only overweight and ugly character on Criminal Minds was shot in last night's episode. They may have killed her off!

Here again is Cal Thomas:

Rather than watch re-runs (new or old), now would be a good time to consider turning off the TV and returning to those thrilling days of yesteryear, before the Lone Ranger, even before TV. That’s when families scheduled dinner together and talked about the day’s events and developments in the world. Useful information was passed from adult to child and back. Before TV, more people read books. They also read newspapers and there were more of them to read. Readers talked with others about what they had read. Good stories by good writers transported readers to other worlds, giving them vicarious experiences that made them feel good, offering hope and laughter.

He makes an excellent point. I'm sure most of the Oxgoad readers are unaffected by the WGA strike; even unaware of it. Still, it is good to be reminded to not only take time out for one's family, but to make time. Eat at least one meal a day together, at the dining room table not on TV trays in front of the TV. Purposefully communicate, not just in do's and dont's, but about your day and theirs, about what is going on in the world, and, most importantly, about God's Word and how it relates to them and their environment.

No comments:

Oxgoad Subscription

Oxgoad Proviso

On this blog I have listed links to articles, websites, videos, and books that I have found to be profitable and/or interesting. Just because I have linked to something does not mean that I agree with every position therein affirmed. I have made it a practice to read, not only the people with whom I am in agreement, but people with whom I do not uniformly agree; by such a practice I have been challenged and sharpened. Gauge what I believe and hold true by what I write and post; not by what those who are linked here write and post.

Oxgoad Author

I am married to Dianna, and we have three boys. Both of us were raised in SE Indiana. While I did my stint in the military we lived in Northern Virginia. Now home is Garland, TX where we minister in the Rodgers Baptist Church.

Oxgoad Search

Oxgoad Reading List

Join the Conversation

I encourage you to comment on each post, whether you agree with my viewpoint or not. "Anonymous" comments are allowed, but not so you can be disrespectful. I will be respectful in my posts, and I expect you to be respectful in your comments.

Instead of “conversation” you may prefer the word “rant”. That is fine; go ahead and rant, but always be mindful of the One Rule. The One Rule is to be respectful with your rants, ruminations, and observations. I really do not care if your opinion is different from mine, but I am concerned with your attitude of expression.